This month sees the Borderline Festival returning to Dublin’s Workman’s Club, while also coming to The Project Arts Centre for the first time. Founded in 2024 by Simon Merriman, a director and promoter at Singular Artists, the festival was born from Simon’s desire to bring the showcases he was witnessing for lesser-known acts to his homeland.
“I always looked at the Left of the Dial or the MUTATIONS in Brighton, these kinds of festivals, and I was like, ‘You know what? Dublin really could do with one of these” Simon tells Totally Dublin on why he began Borderline.
“But, for these things to work, I feel it has to have a personality, it has to have a particular taste, and I know for a fact, based on the past couple of years, that audience is there. The Irish audience wants to discover new music.
One of the traits of the festival is that it covers left-of-the-centre, weird, odd…I’m not afraid to book something that, on first impression, you’re like, ‘Huh? What is this?’ You’ve to give it time, and, sometimes, the best way for that is going to see something live.
What I’ve always got from these festivals is, I’d always go, knowing one or two bands on a bill of fifty, and I’d be like, ‘Fuck! I don’t know where to start, here! Let’s just dive in, get up the front, and watch a show,’ and you’d come out of it with ten or twelve new bands, and that’s one of the best parts of Borderline for me. I love getting feedback from people.”
In its short existence, Borderline has already proven to be a great stepping stone for fledgling Irish artists. For one example, it brought the now-popular Corkonian alt-rock band Cardinals to Dublin for the first time.
But, while Simon says he’s happy to be a part of these Irish acts’ careers in any small way, he asserts that he views Borderline as more of an international festival, and any Irish act who makes the cut does so simply because they complement the bill, rather than feeling the need for a minimum criteria.
“Irish artists are so important,” Simon says. “They are a massive part of the festival, have been from the start, and will continue to be, but this is very much an international event, as well, and I think it’s going to live and breathe over the fact that it is international. And a lot of these acts will come in and play in Ireland for the very first time in front of an Irish audience who are desperate to hear some new music.”
As the festival’s core curator, Simon has dedicated himself to actively pursuing new music, both domestic and international. “To find new artists, you just have to be switched on, all the time,” he says. “Constantly speaking to people – managers, labels, agents, different promoters.”
He continues, “So, the curation is basically down to just my personal taste and what I really, really like, and what I think a Borderline audience will also appreciate. I do try to keep that in mind, and ‘keep it weird,’ as they say in Austin. Again, another place where I’ve picked up a lot of artists – at SXSW.”
This year’s Borderline Festival will also take place at The Project Arts Centre for the first time. Typically, the festival took place between the Main Room and the Cellar at the Workman’s Club; however, the Cellar has since been discontinued. With the Project Arts Centre a hop around the corner from Workman’s, Simon decided it was the best option.
One act that will be utilising this new venue is The Null Club, a new techno project from Gilla Band guitarist Alan Duggan Borges. “An absolute stalwart,” Simon says of Alan. “I think, for me, his new record is one of the best things I’ve heard this year. I was privileged to hear it just before it came out, as well. I got a sneak peek of it.
“Just focusing on him for a second, he’s always been ahead of the curve, in my opinion. If you look back at Gilla Band, for me, they kind of started this all. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have what we have now in music, in general. That’s how highly I rate them. I think a lot of people would agree with me on that. They were very much the starting point for so much.
“Now, if you look at what he’s doing with The Null Club…it’s intense, it’s full on, it’s almost hypnotic when you see their show. I’m lucky to have seen this show a good few times, now, and you’re just sort of in motion, waving back and forward.”
Released last April, The Null Club’s self-titled EP is an accumulation of gradual works for Adam. During the lockdowns, he began purchasing new equipment and learning to produce music. Once he had a set of tracks down, he reached out to some artists whom he had collaborated with before to contribute to the songs.
“I knew I wanted old-sounding drum machines, and this specific sound of the MS-20 synth,” Adam tells us of The Null Club’s sound. “I knew it was going to be in the world of electronic, but not just doing electronic music.
“I didn’t think of it in that way. It was more like, ‘Let’s get drum machines and try stuff on top of it.’ So, the process of writing it was very similar to what we do in Gilla Band.”
Mixed alongside his fellow Gilla Band member, Daniel Fox, and mastered by M(h)aol’s Jamie Hyland, the EP was the result of years of back-and-forth. After it was released, Adam didn’t really have any visions of performing it live.
“When I originally started the project, I was like, ‘Well, I can obviously never do this live, because there’s no way I can get all these people to be on stage, and form a band around it, or tour it, or anything. Logistically, it can just never happen,’” Adam says.
“So, I just parked that idea, but then, later on, I was thinking, ‘Well, how could I actually do this live? Is there a way of doing this live?’ So, I was like, ‘Well, I’m not going to speak on stage,’ so I need to figure out something if I’m not going to speak on stage.
“So, I was like, ‘Well, I could just have all the tracks blend into one another,’ then I thought about it from the perspective of where you go and see a techno artist, where there’s some of the tracks in there, but it’s all kind of reworked and works its way through, so I thought that would be a good basis for the project in a live setting.”
While The Null Club have performed live several times at this point, this will be their first festival, and we ask Alan what it is like to perform there for the first time. “It’s great,” he responds. “I went to Borderline last year, and I saw Mandy, Indiana there, and PVA, and YARD, and it was just great.
“There seemed to be a really strong sense of community around the festival itself. A lot of like-minded people, in terms of styles and tastes, but enough music to push to one side or another, so I think that’s really great.
“I think, for international acts, it’s an amazing opportunity to play in front of an attentive Irish audience, and, for local acts, I think it’s just a sick bill to be a part of. There are just so many great bands playing, whether it’s local or international.
“When I was thinking about which shows I’d like to do over the year, that was a real target. I was like, ‘I’d love to be able to play Borderline. I feel like that would be a really good fit for this project.’ So, I was really delighted when the offer came in.”
While Simon is optimistic about Borderline’s future, he does wrap by reminding people, “Borderline is in our third year. We want to really keep doing this, and it just comes down to the audience. I’m confident that some of the acts that we have on this year are so, so cool, and so exciting. People are really going to enjoy it. I know it for a fact. Even as a fan, I’m really excited.”
Simon goes on to highlight Mary in the Junkyard, Boko Yout, Adult DVD, Art School Girlfriend, LIONSTORM, BROOKI, and Bleech 9:3 as acts that he’s particularly excited to see, before continuing, “There’s so much cool shit on the bill, and I’m genuinely excited about it. I love doing this.
“I’m booking it as a fan, as well. There’s no better thing to do than to be able to book a festival of artists you love, get to go around the world, find new stuff, bring it back to Dublin, and put it on a silver platter for Irish audiences to lap it up!”
Words: Aaron Kavanagh
Feature Image: Patricia-Rosingana
Borderline Festival takes place at The Workman’s Club and The Project Arts Centre, Dublin, from the 19th to the 21st of February.
To see the full line-up and purchase tickets see borderlinefestival.com.
